Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Open Letter to Johnny Damon

"It happened -- I'm over it, so they've got to get over it," Johnny Damon said of Red Sox fans' attitude toward him...

"It's something that happens year in and year out in baseball; players change teams," Damon said. "This was a part of it." - Johnny Damon

Um, you're over it? Then why all the quotes all over the place, Johnny. We've heard about your poor financial situation (how you somehow couldn't afford a house in Boston), and disrespect (when the Sox offered you the same contract as the more valuable team captain), and everything else you have to say...so...what? Fans aren't allowed to voice their opinions? Your word is more important and now that you say you're over it, everyone else is supposed to be, too?

If that is the case, shut your mouth. I don't want to hear your ramblings any more than I wanted to hear them last year. You are not an intelligent human being. You contradict yourself more than "Chef" Isaac Hayes from South Park. If this really is something that happens "every year" and is just "part of it" then what is all this crap about disrespect? You don't make sense.

You've made me sad, Johnny. I used to look forward to you coming out to play. Now you've pretty much destroyed that. You are just another guy looking for the largest check (hey, we all are...)...but we don't try to dictate public perception, too. We all would say, "Hell, I went to the highest bidder." We don't have access to the media to plead our case and then, in turn, to try to shut everyone else up.

You know what? I think that if you had just left and gone to the Yankees and kept your opinions to yourself that most of this would have blown over. Funny, all that you did here is starting to fade...I wonder why? Any ideas? Or is that all just "part of it"?

He cannot keep his mouth shut. The reporter that interviewed him and other Yankees did not bring up the Bronson thing to Damon. Johnnie brought it up himself. I know many guys in the sports dept. at The Courant, being from Htfd., and Damon is obsessed with making sure his every displeasure towards the BoSox is known. This is one of those "don't blame the messenger" type of things. Of course, the messengers in this case are the reporter and the paper. I'll stick by the courant in this case. Thanks

It's not like a report is obligated to print everything a baseball player says?! I agree that Damon is the source of these topics, but I find it a bit hard to believe that the reporters weren't smiling because they knew it would be hot news. In the end, Johnny will do all the talking. We'll see how effective he is over the course of this contract. That's what matters most.

This is pretty interesting; especially coming out of the NY Times. I'd just like to point out, that again Kevin Millar is mentioned as the key ingredient to "chemistry" that produced the 2004 championship. In this case, the point is that Damon was more of a follower. A particularly shrewd, capitalistic follower, but a follower none-the-less.

As a tangent thought, it will be interesting to see what Millar can do for the O's. My guess is that his club-house chemistry skills prove to be helpful but not a major contributor to their bottom line. Once again, pointing to the fact that the best source of chemistry is winning.